Hello, Are You There

 

There is a rhythm that has found a flow in our home for years. 

We loved to have music on as we began living.

 

First there were two of us then a little boy came along who also loved to roll with the music. 

 

Get some of your longtime favorites rolling in your mind and let’s go! 

 

There is a part in our life when I found myself saying hello, are you there to many people. 

People who helped me find my two steps going into new spaces. 

 

I think about a song that brings this together from the band R.E.M. called Pop Song 89. 

 

A quick beat that is also filled with the phrase that brought me to my dancing feet is here.

 

What I found in the song is also what I found in life. 

 

I could see details as I began to see that when I reached out to say hello to ask are you there to the others I met. 

 

Can you begin to imagine putting yourself out there into a new realm? 

 

The second question I often would get is why would you need to do that? 

 

I love that you are thinking about these questions because I was also wondering that as the dance began for me. 

 

There were many wondering thoughts that came to me when there were three of us in our home. 

 

New illnesses and disabilities came suddenly at a time when resources were difficult to find. 

 

If I was able to see a bright opening to create new connections, then I rushed toward it with my dancing shoes on. 

 

Here’s the deal, my friends. 

 

I was not a dancer nor was I one who would have stepped into the arena that brought unknown relationships.

Not until our young son needed me to say oh hello, are you there.

Not until our young son needed me to say oh hello, are you there to anyone and everyone who could share their knowledge. 

 

Can you picture this with me? 

 

Looking into his eyes with bright curiosity would give me the courage and delightful change of nature to go, do and become what was needed. 

 

It was an incredible time. How I learned to find a rhythm that created joy as the gnarly moments continued. 

Oh yes, I could hold both even as I needed to find new dancing shoes as the years went on for all three of us.

 

Let’s talk about the music in your two-stepping realm. 

Do you dance with a wide-open step, a tap shoe or with your arms wide open? 

Is your music like this one with a repeating line that reminds you to say hello?

Is your music like this one with a repeating line that reminds you to say hello to new people who may come to you? 

 

Think about the way your music may now need a bigger space, like this bigger box, to hold what life has brought to you. 

 

As I have danced my steps, both to the left and to the right, I have learned this for now. 

 

I still do enjoy saying hello, are you there? 

This is when I get to learn and connect with others who share another perspective. 

 

There are times when I play my music softly enough to bring the memories of that small boy and his broad smile to the present. 

His hello with a direct look was exact and full of delight. A side look would also ask are you there with a quickness that brought me to my feet in a flash. 

 

How can these things happen now? 

 

With a flowing beat, open arms and perhaps your delightful music alongside mine. 

 

I’d love to keep the rhythm going with you, my friends. 

 

Here’s where to find more: 

#33 My Muse

Julia Pearce – The Boy Who Became More Than We Could Imagine – Bringing the Music Back